Offshore Hustler is a veteran St Pete Beach deep sea boat, a 35 foot Triton that Captain Pete, who has fished the Gulf professionally for more than 30 years, runs out of Pass-a-Grille at the south end of the beach. Leaving right off the Gulf, it skips the run down the bay that the inland boats face, and it posts a full rate card for every trip length from a half day to a 12 hour blue water run. It ranks in the upper middle of the port on the captain’s experience and a well rigged boat, held back by a heavy surcharge load and a review base thinner than the leaders.
The verdict and where it ranks
At 7.7 the Hustler is a strong choice and the second ranked boat in St Petersburg. The case for it is the captain and the location: 30 plus years of Gulf experience and a dock right on the beach, so more of your day is spent fishing rather than steaming. What pulls the score back is value and transparency. The headline prices are clear, but a 4 percent card fee and a 20 percent service gratuity are added to every trip, so the real total lands about a quarter above the number you first see. The review base is also smaller than the top boats, with one notably bad outlier among the praise. Book it for an off-the-beach offshore day with an experienced captain, and budget for the surcharges. Compare it on the St Petersburg ranking.
The boat
The boat is a 35 foot Triton center console, fully rigged with Furuno electronics and powered by triple 300 horsepower Yamaha four strokes, licensed for up to 6 anglers. It is a capable, well kept offshore boat, a notch smaller and a little older than the 39 foot SeaVee that tops the port but built for the same Gulf runs. As an open center console it has no cabin, so dress for the weather on the longer trips. The triple outboards give it the range and speed for the blue water trips out to 60 miles, which is the far end of what this fleet reaches.
The fishing and what you target
The Hustler fishes a wide band of the Gulf off St Pete Beach, from 5 miles out on the half day to 60 miles on the blue water trip. Closer in it targets grouper, mangrove snapper, and king mackerel; the longer runs reach amberjack, mahi mahi, and the deeper reef and ledge fish, with red snapper the summer prize when the federal season is open. Red grouper carries the bottom fishing year round, and gag grouper is tightly limited in 2026. The captain runs the trip the season favors. Confirm the current reef dates with Florida FWC and NOAA before booking a season specific trip.
Trips and prices
The boat sells by the whole boat for up to 6 anglers, private only. The posted rates run $995 for a 4 hour half day, $1,495 for a 6 hour three quarter day, $1,995 for an 8 hour full day, $2,495 for a 10 hour extended trip, $2,995 for a 10 hour red snapper trip, and $3,395 for a 12 hour blue water run. The catch is the surcharge: a 4 percent card fee and a 20 percent service gratuity are added to every trip, which is why value and transparency is its weakest factor even though the base prices are posted. Rods, reels, bait, tackle, license, ice, and fish cleaning are included. Our cost guide helps you read a quoted rate against what you actually pay once the extras are on.
The crew
Captain Pete runs the boat with a deckhand, and the sentiment is strongly positive on the fishing: reviewers across TripAdvisor and the operator’s testimonials consistently credit him with baiting and clearing fish fast, moving spots to find a bite, and putting people on fish through the trip, with mate Eddie named often. The honest limit is depth and spread. The public review base is modest, a couple of dozen on TripAdvisor plus the operator’s own testimonials, and it includes one strongly negative account among the praise, so the record is good but not as deep or as independently broad as the top two boats.
Booking and what to know
Book direct through the operator’s site with a $100 deposit. Cancellations more than 7 days out are refunded in full; inside 7 days, half the trip cost is due, and a no-show is charged the full amount. The boat leaves from 801 Pass-a-Grille Way at the south end of St Pete Beach. Bring food and water, dress for sun and spray on the open boat, and take motion sickness medication for the longer runs. No license is needed, and the crew cleans and packages your catch.
How we scored it
The Hustler scores 7.7: a 30 year captain on a well rigged boat leaving right off the beach, marked down on value and transparency for the 24 percent surcharge load and on track record for a thinner, less independent review base than the leaders. Captain and crew, boat, and trips and access are its strengths; value is where it slips. See how we scored this boat, and compare it with the rest of the St Petersburg boats.